Fierce_LiNk

I guess because the news of the Wii and Xbox selling better may indirectly refer to more games being developed for them? That's what I interpreted, although it's no guarantee. I can't see Activision doing this. That's...a pretty big move, I think. Who knows.

Well, out of Tosic and Ljajic, it's the latter who seems to be getting more praise. Some have also suggested that Tosic was really "part of the deal to ensure that Ljajic was kept happy", although I don't know how accurate those reports are. Nani really just lived in Ronaldo's shadow, and it doesn't really help when he was dubbed "Little Ronaldo", poor guy had an inferiority complex. The problem again is that he really just needs to play more games, get more accompanied to the team...and more importantly, work on his end product. When Nani is good, he is very good. When he's bad...jesus fuck. The problem with Valencia and Benzema is that there's no guarantee that deals and approaches will be made for them. We were even liked to Benzema last season. It doesn't mean much unless something firm is in place. I'd like to see them both here, but who knows. Also, there's guarantee they'll both fit in with the team. Hargreaves back in the team would be bluddy amazing, but there's problems with that, too. First off, there's no guarantee that he will be playing football at all next season, let alone the start of the season. His injury is one that's plagued him for so long, and I'm secretly pretty worried he won't be back at all for United. It really could happen. Secondly, there's also the worry that if he does come back from his injury, he will only then be able for a few seasons further. Thirdly, there's also the problem that he may not ever be back to his best, due to his injury. I'll be absolutely gutted for Hargreaves, and something in my heart just tells me that next season will be a difficult one for him, even if he does play. United do have a habit of "filling their players out" when they come here. Look at the earlier photos of Ronaldo, haha. He was a twig. I'd rather play Anderson in the middle, and have Fletcher out on the wing, although they both can be interchanged. I think Fletcher would provide better cover for when Evra gets forward, mind. He works very hard, so I could see him getting forward and then back again very well.

It most definitely needs a lot of work doing to it. At this stage, if this game were to be released, then my thoughts would be "uhh...." It lacks fluidity, and it looks more "rough" than anything. The attacks seem quite slow, but then I think they're always going to be a bit slower than compared to other fighters. It's going for that "meaty and heavy" look, where every attack is a hammer-blow. The main thing though is just improving the whole fluency of it all. At the moment, it's a very, very rough idea, but I think there's a good game here underneath all that.

We used the 4-3-3 a lot towards the end of last season. We used the system against Arsenal in the Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg, although I can't remember if we used it in the first leg, as well. It's done well for us, but my instincts tell me that Fergie will still favour a 4-4-2, with the wingers and full-backs moving high up the field. We'll probably mix it up, somewhat. I'm not sure who United will be bringing in, if anyone is to be brought in. Valencia and Benzema are two names who have been linked, along with the likes of Huntelaar, Sneijder and Villa. Whether any of these names come, I don't know. To me, the linking to these names doesn't mean very much until you see deals and offers in place. With the squad that we currently have, here is what I'd have. Van Der Sar Rafael - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra Park Ji Sung - Carrick - Anderson - Fletcher Rooney - Berbatov. A few things: Rafael has particularly impressed me, and I love how he gets forward. As an all-round player, Wes Brown is fantastic, but I prefer Rafael as a more attacking full-back. John O'shea has done well this season too, and I think when he does come in, he'll always do a good job. Park and Fletcher I feel are very good in their roles. Fletcher perhaps does a lot better in the centre of the field, but I think he also does a good job out wide. The option is also there for Nani to play in that position, and when he's on his game he is very good. Problem with Nani is consistency. Ljajic is looking to be very, very good, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him being implemented on the wing next season. From the sounds of things, he is going to be one of our brightest stars. Personally, I think we need a winger, or just someone who can dominate on the flanks. More than anything, someone with a good end product, whether that's coming in-field and taking a shot on, or providing crosses. We need more of this. Next season, I think we need Anderson to really take hold of his role and show us what he's made of. At the moment, I really like him, and I think he's a bluddy good player. But now, he needs to back that up with more match-winning performances. A few goals wouldn't go a-miss either.

I think it definitely needs a bit of work doing to it, but at the moment I think it's interesting me a lot more than The Grinder. There aren't really enough fighting games on the system, and this looks like a nice take on the genre. It doesn't look like your typical "slasher" where you just button-mash until the enemy's bar diminishes, there looks to be some form of strategy or patience involved.

Feet would be fairer, but the Whale wasn't designed with feet in mind. So, the feet is not that much fairer than the wheels. Also, you can have land and water, but it wouldn't make a difference. The whale wouldn't be able to leave the water, and the dinosaur wouldn't be able to enter it. It could enter it, but it would almost certainly drown. So, it won't work.

That's why the dinosaur versus a t-rex debate is just folly. Unless some form of climate or environment could be created, which included both land and sea at the same time, it's not really a fair fight. Unless you strapped on wheels or feet to the Whale.

I watched that video, and it does seem more tactical than purely "turn-based." I must admit, I really like that. The emphasis there is on waiting for the right moment to strike, then going for it. It does seem a tad bit slow-paced there, but I do expect the battles to get a bit more brutal and faster as the development progresses. I must be the only one, but I'm looking forward to this a lot more than The Grinder.

I did hear that he wanted more time to think about it, and there was a great interview between Sky Sports News and Kia Joorabchian earlier today where the presenter asked him, "To think about what?" To me, it feels like my original fears were proved right to some extent, where Kia would still be looking for "the bigger offers" regardless of what was offered from United. Carlos didn't start as many games last season, but he's not the only striker at United. The big three strikers of last season were Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov (even though Ronaldo did play the striker role, too, but we'll leave him out of the equation for one moment.) 3 into 2 doesn't go, so it was always going to be likely that either Tevez or Berbatov were going to be sacrified at some points. Regardless of that, Tevez still played 51 games (with 17 appearances as sub) and Berbatov played 45 (with 8). Rooney by comparison played 49 (with 10). That's not bad going at all, he was still getting the games. If you have 3 strikers worth around the 30 million mark each, especially with one (Berbatov) being brought in at the beginning of the season, it's nigh on impossible to please them all - unless you play them all in every game, which is just not possible. That's the downside of having players of that stature in your squad, you will have to sacrifice someone. And, with regards to the offer, I wonder when that figure was offered to Tevez, and just how much time he was given with it. It seems like a "here's 25 million (what you asked for), and a five year deal, take it or leave it." Imo, he and his agent hesistated because they want to look at the other offers, notably from City. I just find it hard to believe that Carlos, who was a fan's favourite, who was reported as saying he wanted to stay (- although he has been reported to say he's wanted to leave, as well), who was so adamant that he deserved a long-term deal would think twice about taking that offer. He hasn't started every game, but he has not been treated as poorly as it is being suggested. He's a big player playing for a team with other big players. If Rooney was out for the season, you can guarantee that Tevez would have started more games. At the start of this season, United bought Berbatov, because he adds another dimension to the team. Again, he cost a considerable amount. What sort of message does that send out to the fans, or even to the players if you bring someone like Berbatov to United and then leave him on the bench? If you play one player, at a team like United, you need to sacrifice another. It'll be exactly the same at Real Madrid next season, or Barcelona, or Chelsea. Big teams, big squads, expensive players...you can only play 11 at a time.

Yeah, I've seen that video. It made me chuckle and smile. There's also some good videos of Tevez and Anderson (Argentina vs. Brazil) playing a series of 3 games, including Connect 4 and Jenga, haha. I think City will be his destination. But, I'm just bemused by the whole thing. I will not be surprised in the slightest if City sign him for 30 or so million, and offer him some huge deal. The winner in all of this is Carlos' agent.

Bluey, that is pretty creative, haha. Well done.

To be honest, action films are really not as well filmed as they used to be. The "shaky cam" idea is something that has got on my nerves for a long time. If I go to a cinema, the two films which I am reluctant to see these days are action films and comedies, as I feel there hasn't been an above-par version of these two for some time. One word: Epic. Every film is trying to be "epic" these days. "Epicly" funny, "epicly" action-orientated. In 5 years time, will people still be craving to see Sex Drive, or Die Hard 4.0? Imo, no. Look at something like the first Die Hard film. Now THAT was an action film. Perfectly paced, great action-wise, and the story was pretty good, too. More importantly, the action set pieces were filmed well. They were creative. There's a reason people still watch it to this day.

Shut up, Dan!

Noodles: Cheers for that. In that case, I do see the transfer in a different light. Fresh: I agree with you about Rossi. Although, seeing him come on for Italy against the USA, he was a huge impact. He would be a great sub/impact player, but I think he wouldn't make the starting lineup, which is a shame. But, the trouble is when Wayne Rooney is fit, he pretty much always starts. So, there's only ever one space for another striker, and so he'd have fight for his firm place their. Ok, so woke up this morning and heard about the Tevez news. I could completely understand about his choice to leave. And then, there came the further news that we offered him his £25.5million asking price and Five Year Deal. Now, I'm at a bit of a loss. He wants to feel valued, so we offer to pay his asking price. 25 million is a fuck load of money to buy anyone. He wants to feel loved and part of the family. He got offered a five year deal! I love Tevez, and it was always a boost seeing his name in the starting line-up. But, if he's going to snub that offer, then he's a bit of a fool if you ask me. Manchester United are a huge club/team, and we have quality players in each position, but there's also competition there. Man City have just signed Roque Santa Cruz today in fact, and they also have Craig Bellamy, Robinho, Jo, Vassel, Benjani and Caideo as their registered forwards. Chelsea also have Drogba, Anelka, Kalou and Pizarro as their forwards. Wherever you go, you're going to have competition for your place, regardless of your price tag. That's part and parcel of being at a big team. He says about not being "part of the family" at Manchester United, but I'm not totally convinced of that. He's won trophies whilst being at the club, including the Champions League, and he has close friends there in the form of Park Ji Sung and Patrice Evra. What exactly does he want? He's said various times that he wants an offer, and that he wants to be part of the family. As a club, United said they'd wait til June, or the end of his deal before making a move. His loan deal runs out on the end of June, and Gill has said for many months now that nothing would be decided until June came about. Well, June has come, and he hasn't taken the deal what was offered. If we had offered him a smaller deal or something he didn't ask for, I would understand it. But...he was being given exactly what he wanted, and he still didn't take it. Oh, Carlos.

I didn't actually know that, and now I do see the transfer is a whole different light. Was that hugely publicised, because I don't remember seeing anything about that at all.

I've been following that quite closely. He's Belgian, heh, so I kinda follow anything football and Belgian related these days, as I now somewhat have links there. He looks to be one who should settle in well at Arsenal, I think. Anyway, I'm finding the Glen Johnson "saga" quite interesting to follow, too. First off, why are Chelsea thinking of buying him back? Has Bosingwa just not worked, or something? Secondly, buying back your own players who you let go is a bit of a weird practice, I think. It's almost like the club admitting that they were wrong to sell them. Although, if United bought Rossi back to the club, I would be happy. Personally, I'd like to see the player stay at Pompey, but I think that's very unlikely now. Also, the David Villa/Vee-ya talk has been interesting, too. Personally, I think we've seen that any player can be "obtained" now, for the right price. The problem is that contracts just generally mean fuck all nowadays. There's contracts, then there's clauses in those contracts, then buy out clauses, then small print. I find the Kaka deal very strange, since he was adamant last season that he would be staying at AC Milan rather than joining Manchester City. Infact, I remember the critics and journalists praised him for staying there. Now, this season, he's moved to Real Madrid...and nobody has battered an eye-lid. You could also say that his transfer is in the shadow of Ronaldo's, but I find that extremely puzzling.

To be honest, I feel pretty pissed off about it, too. I've done a four year degree that specialises in teaching, went to a pretty good uni to do that too, I've got the experience too from being on placement...and yet I'm still sending off applications without hearing a thing back. I've had mates who have got jobs from sending off one application form, or others who didn't even send off one at all! How is that fair? Every application form asks for the same things, but in a different order. Worse still, some insist on you submitting it handwritten. Why?! At least with the typed applications you can copy and paste your list of previous jobs and placements, it looks neater, it's quicker...it just defies all logic to hand-write it. My housemate from Brighton sent off two application forms, after his girlfriend's Mother (who is a Teacher) recommended him to two schools, including the one she works at. Two applications, two interviews, and he got a job from one of them. Some people get all the luck.

WollllfyWolfWolf. Happy Birthday to yoou. Have a good one.

I posted my reply before watching that youtube video. I knew Gazza scored after the penalty save...but I didn't realise it was THAT soon.

Dyson, some of those videos are brilliant. Lovely free kick, and I was almost in tears at that "fail" by your mate. Haha. And Villan: Yeeees, that was a beautiful goal. I remember seeing that. Wasn't long after David: Man of Sea made that lovely penalty save. TeeDee: If you think Man United were great, check out AC Milan. Shevchenko was bluddy fast. My housemate and my other mate were both shocked after I demolished them with AC. Just...the pace of the team, haha. I really wanna play now.

Haha, yeesss. But, it's Fifa, we need eeet all. I've always loved how you could basically as anyone, and everyone. I've had some daft matches over the years. My brother loves playing as Saudi Arabia for some reason. Some Austrian teams, too. Heh. I've always kinda enjoyed single-player. Had some brilliant matches like that. But, you're right, multiplayer is where it's at. Man, if I could somehow have saved allll my matches since I was about...10, it would make for an awesome collection. I've had some brilliant games over the years. One of the last games I played with my housemate, I was 3-0 down with 80 mins gone. Then, BAM, in goes a free-kick from outside the box. Then, a cross a minute later, and a goal. He was sweating it. I got the equaliser, bang on 90 mins. He looked like he was about to cry. I was going fucking ballistic. Thing is, we always played two legs, and I think this was one of those rare occasions where he actually beat me in the first leg, so I ended up losing overall anyway. But, maaaan, it was so brilliant. Then, there was the other time where I totally dominated him. It was akin to a rape. I went United, and had Hargreaves and Carrick in the middle of the park. They just kept winning the ball and keeping possession. 30 mins had gone on the clock, and I was 4-0 up, haha. He then threw a hissy fit and stopped the game. Edit: If you haven't guessed by now, I fucking LOVE football.

See, to some people, that won't matter. But, to me, I like playing as different teams. These touches are nice. Heh, you can do a proper Birmingham Derby, Villan. Home AND Away. Sorry, what I meant was the top tier as in league, in each country. I typed eet wrooong.

I've played Fifa 09 on the 360, as my housemate had it, but I didn't play it indepthly by myself. Do you still only really get 4 or 5 stadiums for each country? Fifa has always had brilliant presentation, imo. The players, the atmosphere, but that is an area I think they could improve upon. Having all the stadiums for clubs would be great. It would take a ridiculous amount of disc space, though...so maybe all the stadiums for top tier clubs in each league? So, Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, etc. 09 was brilliant, though. The gameplay was excellent, and it is just my cup of tea more so than Pro Evo these days. I'll play every football game I can, but Fifa has really come in leaps and bounds the last few years. Love 08 on the Wii and love 09 on the 360. One thing I find is that the shooting doesn't seem quite right for me, especially shooting from outside the box. Maybe there's something you can do, like an advanced shot that I just don't know about yet, but it always felt like you were putting your foot under the ball rather than through it. I did score some good goals from outside the box, mind. But, I feel that's one area that needs a bit of work.

Keep it. It's nice to keep it as it reminds you of all the special times you had with it. You're not going to get much for selling it, I don't think. So, may as well keep it in your collection.

I think the merging of threads is part of a problem in itself. Personally, I feel that this forum is nowhere near as spontaneous as it used to be. I think generally these news threads can be quite good points for discussion. Sometimes I've made a few threads like that where they've just dropped off the front page, but I've also created many which have gone on for a few pages, and it's been quite interesting. Personally, when I see a new thread, I look at the title and try to identify what that thread is about. The problem with all these big threads is that the majority of the time the discussion is already defined - you know what is included within that thread, you know where the direction is mostly going, you kinda know who the regular posters are going to be. Each thread like that basically becomes a small "forum" of its own, although it's very messy. It's almost like walking into a room where the groups are already established, and you're a bit un-easy about joining in. With a new thread, there's that fresh feeling, like every thread is a new slate. Over the years, the number of threads that have been created has, imo, dropped massively. There's no need for many people to create new threads, so they don't bother. It seems nowadays that the forums are basically just a collection of posts in several topics, and very little discussion is actually new. Part of me thinks that in trying to create a utopia or a discussion-based forum that we have in fact maybe over-done it.